Across the United States, millions of Americans are struggling without access to health insurance. And many, many millions more have insurance --- but the costs are exploding, or the care they receive is limited by all kinds of complicated rules and hoops to jump through. These problems are multiplied for folks living in rural communities. In many small towns and rural counties, there is only one insurance company to "choose" from --- so if they won't cover you of they're too expensive, you're out of luck. And for many people in rural communities, even if you have coverage the access to care is thin --- doctors and hospitals are hours away and what treatment you can get locally is insufficient, but not inexpensive.

When we talk about quality, affordable health care for all Americans, we know that many of the Americans who need it most live in our nation's rural communities.

In the summer of 2009, a team of filmmakers traveled to state and county fairs around the United States to see first-hand how the health care crisis is affecting real families. The stories that appear on this website are just a few --- there were lots more that we didn't have room to include. And if we would have stayed at each fair longer, we could have collected thousands and thousands of stories more. While the news coverage about health insurance reform may be focused on Washington, it's clear that real Americans across our nation are fed up with our broken health care system and demanding change.

These stories of hard-working families struggling to get by remind us of the roll-up-your-sleeves determination that is the heartland of America. But these stories also remind us that, no matter how hard we all try, the deck is stacked against when our health care system is designed to put insurance tycoon profits ahead of people and patients. These families have done their best. There's no question that, as a nation, we can do better --- and ensure quality, affordable health care for all.